metadata
noun
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How Metadata Was Formed
It's easy to find data on the source of "metadata": the word was formed by combining "data" with "meta-," which means "transcending" and is often used to describe a new but related discipline designed to deal critically with the original one. "Meta-" was first used in that way in "metaphysics" and has been extended to a number of other disciplines, giving us such words as "metapsychology" and "metamathematics." "Metadata" takes the "transcending" aspect a step further, applying it to the concept of pure information instead of a discipline. "Metadata" is a fairly new word (it appeared in the latter half of the 20th century), whereas "data" can be traced back to the middle of the 17th century.
Examples of metadata in a Sentence
Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
As detailed in My Father, the BTK Killer, investigators obtained metadata from the disk that linked it to Christ Lutheran Church, where Rader was president of the church council, and revealed the user's name to be Dennis.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Setting itself apart from existing distributors, NexTone is carving out new markets through metadata management and copyright strategies tailored to each platform and user needs.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2025
If posts contain pictures, uploaders are told to purge metadata from those file attachments.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for metadata
Cite this Entry
“Metadata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metadata. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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